Monday, November 12, 2012

Are You Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired? How to Get More Energy Without Caffeine!

Citrus scented lotions can awaken
your senses without caffeine!

One
of the most common questions I get from my IC diet coaching patients is
"How can I get more energy if I have to give up caffeine?"

Trust
me, I hear every word you are saying. Although some IC patients do ok with low acid coffee, most interstitial cystitis patients need to give up coffee entirely.

There
are many things that can contribute to fatigue when you have IC.
Obviously, the quality of sleep is compromised if you are getting up
several times at night to use the bathroom. In addition, many of the
medications patients use, including narcotics, anti-anxiety medications,
and antihistamines cause drowsiness. Even the mental activity of
navigating all the changes associated with being diagnosed with a
chronic illness can be exhausting.

How does a person deal with such a situation? Trust me, it is far from hopeless. Here are some suggestions:

Work with your physician. Once you rule out
any other medical conditions, ask if you can take less medication
that contributes to drowsiness if you can get your symptoms under
control by modifying your diet.

Nurture a positive attitude about giving up caffeine. Remind yourself that this is something you can control, unlike many other aspects of the disease.

Establish regular sleep habits. Most people,
sick or not, require at least 8 hours of sleep at night. If you
know you will spend a portion of that in the bathroom, plan to “sleep”
even longer.

Take mini-naps during the day if necessary. Find
a quite place to lay your head down for a few minutes. Set the
alarm on your cell phone for 15 to 20 minutes. When you consider
that you are much more alert after these mini-naps and accomplish
more, the time is worth it.

Eat smaller, well-balanced, low fat meals. High
calorie meals can slow even the healthiest person down as the body
diverts energy to the process of digestion. Have a handful of high
protein nuts or vitamin packed carrots as an afternoon snack instead
of a handful of sugar cookies.

Drink plenty of water.One of the first signs of
dehydration is fatigue. You may have kicked the caffeine habit, but
have you developed a water habit?

Use a small personal fan in your workspace.The cool air movement can keep you feeling more alert.

Expose yourself to bright lights. If you
have a choice, move your desk near a sunny window. If that isn’t
possible, ask to have brighter lights installed in at least part of your
workspace.

Use citrus scented hand lotions.That burst of
citrus as you moisturize your hands can wake you right up! I have
citrus lotions all over the place, in my home, in my car, and in my
purse. You can find them in specialty stores like Bath and Body Works,
Body Shop (try the Bergamot), and William Sonoma. Lotions with a
strong minty scent work good too!

Watch your posture. Sit up tall! Don’t make
your lungs and heart work harder than they have to. Just sitting
tall can give you the feeling of having more energy.

Get regular exercise.One of the first things we
are tempted to give up when we are tired is exercise, when that is
the opposite of what we should do! As you make the rest of your
body stronger, it becomes more efficient at accomplishing everyday
tasks. In fact, people who are fit often report needing less sleep
than their out-of-shape neighbors do.

Finally, find a way to stimulate your funny bone.
Many times when we live with a chronic illness, we forget to enjoy
some of the simpler things in life. Watch funny television shows
and movies instead of draining yourself with emotional dramas.
Subscribe to a joke of the day to great you each morning in your
email. Find an excuse to laugh every day!

Adapted
from the forthcoming book: Living Positively with Interstitial
Cystitis: A Confident Choices Book by Julie Beyer, MA, RD.

If you need help getting more energy without caffeine, please don't hesitate to contact me at NutraConsults@aol.com for a personal consultation. A one hour phone consultation CAN make a difference in your life!

3 comments:

Hello! I just found your blog about living with IC. I agree with all of your tips! I haven't had coffee since 1995, unbelievable to most people! I was diagnosed many years ago and then I developed FMS. I just started writing a blog reflecting on my own journey with these illnesses. I hope to end up at acceptance but I have to admit that right now I am in the grief portion of my journey-- a place I skipped along the way. Here is a post I wrote about learning about FMS. Thank you for allowing me to comment here.http://upontheheart.blogspot.com/2012/11/ic-fms-wtf-life-in-acronyms.html

I hate having the pain of IC and also that it is often affiliated with fibromyalgia. Working as an RN for 29 years I know that most fibromyalgia patients are mentally ill and my pain is in my urethra not "in my head"

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